Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange

Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (29 January 1584-14 March 1647) was Prince of Orange from 1625 to 1647, succeeding Maurice of Orange and preceding William II of Orange.

Biography
Frederick Henry was born in Delft, Dutch Republic on 29 January 1584, the youngest son of William the Silent and Louise de Coligny. Frederick Henry belonged to the House of Orange, and he was the half-brother of Maurice of Orange. Frederick Henry was raised by his half-brother, as his father was assassinated six months after his birth. When his brother died in 1625 without legitimate issue, Frederick Henry became the new Prince of Orange, becoming stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Overijssel, and Guelders. He was a more capable statesman and politician than his half-brother and was just as good a general, and he allied with France against Spain during the Eighty Years' War. He captured Grol in 1627, Den Bosch in 1629, Maastricht in 1632, Breda in 1637, Sas van Gent in 1644, and Hulst in 1645, and he later abandoned his alliance with France by making a separate peace with Spain that would be concluded after his death, in 1648, guaranteeing the independence of the United Provinces from the Spanish Netherlands. He died in 1647 at the age of 63, and his son William II of Orange succeeded him.